Apparatus for cutting, folding, and interfolding sheets or units.



No. 843,781. PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

S. WHEELER. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING, FOLDING, AND INTERFOLDING SHEETS 0R UNITS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 31.1904.

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PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

s. WHEELER. I APPARATUS FOR CUTTING, FOLDING, AND INTERFOLDING SHEETS OR UNI-TS;

APPLICATION FILED 13110.31. 1904.

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S.'WHBBLER. v APPARATUS FOR CUTTING, FOLDING, AND INTERPOLDING SHEETS OR UNITS.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 31. 1904.

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-- UNITED STATES- PATENT oFEICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907. A

Application filed December 31,1904. -Serial No. 239,275.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SETH WHEELER, a resi-' dent of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cutting, Folding, and Interfolding Sheets or Units; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

, My invention relates to an improved apparatus for cutting, folding, and interfolding sheets, and more particularly an apparatus constructed to sever a strip or strips into sheets or units of several sheets, uniformly fold the several sheets or units and interfold the end flaps of adjacent sheets; and the particular object is to provide an apparatus wherein the sheets or units are held to the rolls while being impressed for folding by suction and further provide improved means for cutting the strip or strips, improved foldmechanism, and other improvements in the details of construction hereinafterpointed out.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts,-as will be more fully hereinafter described,-.and pointed out in the claims.

1 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is ayiew in longitudinal section illustrating my improvements, and Fig. 2 is a plan view.

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are views showing the various positions of the parts during the operation of the apparatus.

11 represent two hollow rolls, supported to turn on hollow shafts 2 and driven by a chain ofgearing 3, which also drive all the other rolls of the a paratus hereinafter-described; These ho low shafts 2' are connected with any suitable form of suction chamber or pump whereby air is continuously sucked through the hollow journals and through openings 4 4 in rolls 1, according to the-position of said openings, and perforated cylindrical casing or shells 5 are located around the rolls, and elongated chambers 6 are provided in the surface of the rolls be-' V neath the perforated casing'or shells and surface of the hollow shafts 2 is prov' ed with communicate with the openings 4 lignd the a duct or passage 7 around one-ha f of the 5 shafts.

Above the rolls 1 1 fixed cutter-blades 8 are located and cooperate with blades 9, carried by the rolls to sever the sheets when the blades pass each other, and it will be seen that the blades 9 are so positioned as to oper-- 6o ate alternately and compel the sheet or sheets coming from one side to overlap and extend to the fold of the sheet coming from the oppo-- site side, and thus compel the sheets or units to interfold. 6 5

'Beside the rolls 1 1 are impressing-rolls 10, which are provided at one side with a V-- shaped rib 11 to force the sheet or unit into a similarly-shaped groove 11" in roll 1 and force afolding impression in the sheet or unit, 7 and at the opposite side of the rolls recesses 12 areprovided to permit the cutters 9 .to pass without injury.

13 represents feeding-rolls for feeding the strip or strips of paper to rolls 10, and, as before stated, all of these rolls are driven by the chain of gearing 3. p

On the ends of rolls 1 1 wheels 14 are secured and vertical racks 15 are connected at their upper ends by links 16, with rollsor pins 17 mounted on wheels 14, so that as the latter turn the'racks 15 will be"reciprocat1ed*verti cally. These racks mesh withgeafsl gon shafts 19, carrying folder-blades 20,to press the folds of the interfolded sheets uponamov- 5 able platform or table 21, and a pinion or segment 24 on one of the shafts 19 transmits reciprocating motion to a horizontal rack 22. This rack 22 is provided at its forward end with parallel rods 23, spaced apart and be: 9 tween which the overlapped and impressed sheets or units pass, and the movement-of the rack 22 serves to properly lay the sheets or units in their folded pgosition onto the table 21 to be pressed down ythe folder-blades20. The operation of the machine is as follows: The webs of paper taken from'rolls upon both sides of the machine' by the feed-rolls 13 .pass around the impression-rolls 10, carrying the V-ribs 11, whichin entering the I grooves 11 mark the line of fold on the separated sheets. The rolls 1 are carried on fixed hollow shafts provided with openings which communicate with the-interior of the rolls. The hollow shafts are in communica 1 5 tion with a vacuum-chamber or exhaustpump, by means of which the air being artially exhausted within the perforated s ells or casings of rolls 1 1 the webs as they pass from contact with the impression-rolls are 11 caused to adhere to rolls 1 land ass under the fixed cutter-blades 8 8, at w 'ch point they are divided into sheets by the action of the moving cutterb1ades 9 9 against fixed blades 8 8. It will be observed that the rela t1ve position of blades 9 9 is such that the ends of the sheet irom the right-hand web are in line with the fold-mark of the left-hand web, and vice versa', so that when the webs meet between the rolls 1 1 one sheet will be one-half its length in advance of the oppo- 10 site sheet, as shown in Fig. 3. At this point both webs adhere to their respective rolls; but as they leave it the openings 4* of that part, of roll 1 carrying the last incoming sheet is closed, (see Fig. 4,) allowing the end of the sheet to leave its roll and to be carriedinto, position by guide-rods 23 and interfolded w th the terminal of the advance sheet, which still adheres to its carrying-roll. When the fold-.mark reaches the lowest point reached; by its carrying roll, the opening or duct 4 will be closed, (see Fig. 5,) thus per mitting the sheet to fall upon the pile of assembled sheets, to which position it will be. assisted by a rod 23 on bar 22. When the 2 5 interfolded sheets reach the pile, they will be acted upon by a folder-blade 20, which retains them interfolded. As the bar- 22, with its rods 23, starts to travel from right to left the operation of the carrying-rolls. be repeated. Figs. 6, 7, and: 8 show the relative pc it o f he. ducts or op ni gs, 4 Eat the Yfi 'iql -i SWgQS during the, travel of the parts. 23 until the position shown in Fig. 2 is aga reach d. Thu he du t r op ning will assume the positions shown in Figs. 2, 3,

4, and 5 when the parts 22 23 travel from left. t right and the po i ions h wn in Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 2 when the parts 22 23 travel f om r gh t ef The important features of this machine are pneumatic method of holding and releasthe webs and sheets of paper and the fixed: cuttereblades. WhileI have not shown it, it is ohviOllS that the incoming webs may b divided longitudinally, as desired, by means of rotary cutters on the feed-rolls or elsewh re.

A, great many slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without .departing from my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not restrict myself to the precise "details set forth, but consider 'myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scgipe of my invention.

aving fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of two rolls, neumatic means temporarily holding out s eets or units on said rolls, fixed cutter-blades, and blades on the rolls cooperating therewith to sever strips orwebs into sheets or units of several sheets.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of two rolls, hollow shafts on which said rolls turn and which form pneumatic suction-tubes, perforated shells or casing on said rolls and openings or ports connecting said hollow shells with the suction-chamber during a part of the revolution of the rolls to temporarily hold sheets or units thereon.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with two rolls, of means for feeding pa er thereto, fixed cutters, cutters on the rol s cooperating with the fixed cutters to sever the paper into proper length of sheets or units, means for IHIPIGSS'? ing the sheets or units and the cutters on the rolls being so positioned as to compel the ends of the sheets or units to be overlapped and the rolls being so constructed as to hold the severed sheets or units on'the rolls tem-. porarily.

4. In an apparatus of the character de-.. scribed, the combination with means for sev-. ering strips into sheets or units of several sheets, overlapping the sheets or units and impressing said sheets or units-or: their lines of fold, a platform, a reciprocating frame,

and rods or pins on said frame between which the sheets pass, said reciprocating frame ;adapted to properly lay the interfolded sheets.

5. In an apparatus of the. character described, the combination with rolls between which impressed and overlapped sheets or units are passed, of a table or platform, a j horizontally-reciprocating rack, rods or pins on said rack between which they sheets or units are passed and laid thereby in proper folds u on the table, folder-blades ressing down t e folds of the pile on the table, and vertically-reciprocating racks operating said folders and horizontal rack.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of hollow suction tubes or shafts, rolls mounted on said shafts and havingsuction openings or ports therein, perforated shells or casings on the rolls and said rolls constructed to open and close said ports to hold or release sheets or units against the perforated shells or casings.

In testimony whereof I-have signed this specification in the-presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WI'IEELER.

Witnesses I EDGAR WHEELER, WM. A. WHEELER. 

